The Strong One
by MissObsessed511
Summary: After a horrific tragedy Santana fell off the radar and didn't look back. 15 years later she moves back to Lima where her horrific past comes back to her in full force.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N-** This is a VERY old story I wrote back when glee season 1 just ended. I found it and decided to make some changes and try to see if I can finish it!

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Santana lay quietly in her hospital bed in the maternity section at the hospital. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and dried tears stained her tan cheeks. A month ago, Santana couldn't wait to have her baby boy and hold him in her arms, to squeeze her wife's hand through the pain and have her wife kiss her afterwards for being brave. She carried that baby for almost nine months. It was impossible not to form some sort of attachment to him. She felt every kick, every push on her bladder, every spastic movement, even when he wasn't moving- she still felt him. It was so incredible, the thought that she and her wife had created life and she had a little baby growing inside of her

Now that feeling was gone. After a woman gives birth they often feel happy and want to hold their baby all day long. Santana didn't feel that. The twenty-one year old felt empty, numb, like there was nothing left to live for. She had no desire to hold her newborn baby boy that was in the NICU. There was no doubt that she loved him - she did - but he reminded her too much of her wife. The Latina missed her, her wife; her Britt-Britt. She misses the comfort of knowing there will always be one person there for her, even if that person didn't know that she was the only thing that Santana lived for. Then there was the reassuring comfort of their baby being in her for the nine months. She always made sure to protect and care for Brittany, Brittany was the only person to ever see Santana's softer side. She, though she'd never admit it, liked taking care of someone and being able to show the real her.

Suddenly, a kind looking nurse walked in, wheeling in a crib. In the crib was her baby boy, he had light skin and a little blonde hair poking out of the top, just like her Britt-Britt. Santana had decided it would be Brittany's egg in her body, instead of her own. The woman looked at Santana with soft green eyes and picked up a clipboard smiling.

"Congratulations! He's perfectly healthy, and I need you to give me a name." She said. Santana locked eyes with the nurse, unable to look at the sleeping baby boy. The nurse flinched slightly and her smile fell when she noticed the pain and darkness in swirling in the Latinas dark eyes.

"Brett. Brett Samuel. Put him up for adoption please, I don't…" Santana stopped and looked at the small baby blue carrier and the baby inside. She took a breath and continued on. "I don't want him" She whispered, her voice cracking. The nurse didn't miss this, but she nodded and wheeled the baby out of the room leaving the worn and tired Latina to cry herself to sleep.

xxxxx

"Rachel have you found-" Quinn stopped when she saw Rachel in a chair holding a small baby in a light blue blanket. Quinn placed a hand on her wife's shoulder and smiled down at the little baby. He was small with blond hair sticking out of his head. His skin was a light color and his big blue eyes were looking up at the two women. Rachel lifted up the baby and placed him in the blonde's arms. The little boy looked up at Quinn and smiled with his eyes closed shut. She knew right away that this was her son.

Rachel and Quinn, officially married for a year after dating for 5, were excited to finally adopt a baby brother for their daughter Beth. Back in high school Quinn had decided to keep Beth and now, 8 years later, the child was eager to have a little brother or sister to play with. Since Rachel and Quinn wanted to wait a bit before trying to have biological children together, they decided to adopt. When the adoption agency told the couple they would be the parents to a baby boy, they couldn't be happier and set up a welcome home party so everyone from the original glee club agreed to come, except for Santana and Brittany, which Quinn was upset about. They four girls were always extremely close, especially after Brittany and Santanas wedding 2 years ago, but a few weeks ago Santana and Brittany fell off the radar and Quinn didn't know where the two women went and why.

"Have you found him?" The nurse asked. Quinn motioned to the sleeping baby in her arms and placed him back in the basinet. "He sure is a cutie. Come with me and so you can fill out the final paperwork." The nurse said, Rachel grabbed Quinn's hand and followed the nurse out into the lobby.

Ten minutes later the couple was done with the paperwork and awaiting their new baby to be checked and approved to leave. At the same time Santana stood at the front desk checking out, she wore a simple black dress and black heals. She was going to the cemetery today and a few people from Brittany's family were joining her. Santana moved to a different town the day after Brittany died and changed her email, phone number and changed her name back to Lopez instead of Lopez-Pierce in the days following the blondes death. She didn't want contact with anyone anymore since, for selfish reasons, she chose not to tell anyone Brittany had died. She heard noise and turned around to see Quinn and Rachel, her mouth dropped in and the Latina hid behind a pillar watching the two discreetly. The couple had their backs to the girl so they couldn't see the Latina as a nurse came out holding her little baby boy. The nurse handed the couple their new baby, the Latina watching helplessly behind the pillar.

"His mother named him Brett Samuel" She told them.

"Put Brett Samuel Fabray on the birth certificate." Quinn informed her. The nurse jotted this down and walked away leaving Rachel and Quinn with their new baby boy. "Beth is going to be so happy." Quinn said happily.

"I know I can't wait for everyone to meet him at the party tomorrow!" Rachel smiled looking over at Quinn who was carrying Brett out of the hospital. Santana stood their breathless. Her baby boy was just adopted by her best friends and there was nothing she could do about it. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see the same nurse as before.

"Are you ok?" The nurse asked. Santana nodded and walked out of the hospital, got into her car and drove to the cemetery like she did every day since the blonde went into the ground.

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**Comments make the my world go 'round! The more you leave the faster I'll update the story!**

**~ ForeverAlways,**

_**Bethany-Rose**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_*IMPORTANT A/N*_-** I can't tell you how disappointed and upset I am that this story only got 1 comment (Thank you SO much _w1cked_ for writing that nice comment)! For everyone else, it is not hard to take a minute to write me a few simple words saying if you liked it or not and what I can improve on and what you want to see! I am VERY upset, but I'm giving you the second chapter anyway.

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"I don't want to go to William McKinley, I want to go back home to New York!" A young boy shouted at his mother. He was sixteen and his blonde hair was neatly brushed and his blue eyes turned inward toward his mother.

"Too bad, we live in Lima now." Quinn said sternly before giving a sigh. "You know you were born here right Brett?" Quinn asked her son with a quizzical and amused look. Brett just sat on his bed with one leg up to his chest and Quinn sighed before sitting beside him. "Me and your mama were born here. We went to school here, fell in love here, had you and Beth here and most of our friends live here. This place has so many memories for your mama and me so try to tough it out ok?" She told her eldest son.

Brett sighed and nodded. "I'll try to like it. Hey at least I get to go to school with Tracey and Hepburn, thats a plus side to moving" He said with a smile. Tracey and Hepburn Anderson were the sixteen year old twins of Kurt and Blaine and were also Bretts best friends. With that Quinn headed downstairs to start breakfast for the family. Fifteen minutes later Brett came down dressed in a red polo shirt with skinny black jeans and red hightop converse on with a red beanie covering the back of his head. His two younger brothers, Finley and Mackenzie, followed him down the stairs and the three took their places around the table. Finley was Bretts thirteen year old brother with beautiful dark brown hair and dark chocolate eyes, much like his eleven year old brother Mackenzie. Soon the five family members were all seated at the table passing around a plate fill of homemade pancakes.

"Hey think of this, it's not only your first day of school here, it's everyone elses too! Who knows you might meet another kid who moved here recently" Rachel said with a smile. Brett nodded and pretended to listen as his Mama went on and on. They had moved to Lima in late July and they had half of the house unpacked and now it was September and it was time for school to start. After what seemed like hours to Brett his mom came in with backpacks and handed them to her boys.

"Come on guys, time for the first day of school" She smiled as the three took their backpacks, maneuvered around the hundreds of boxes they have yet to unpack and headed to the car. Brett gazed out the window as they drove up to the middle school where Mackenzie was being let off. Brett watched hundred of scared 6th graders hugging their parents and walked into their new school in huddled groups. Brett scoffed at the kids as they drove away and over to William McKinley, where he would be entering 11th grade and Finley would be entering 9th.

"He we are, WMHS" Quinn announced pulling up in front of the school. Outside there were groups of kids talking, riding skateboards, comparing classes and trying to trip the incoming freshmen. As Finley got out to get the backpacks from the trunk Quinn pulled Bretts arm before he was able to get out of the car. "Look out for Fin, ok?" She asked him softly. Brett climbed out of the car and closed to door.

"Yea I promise" He said through the open window as Fin walked up to him and handed him his black and blue plaid backpack. "I won't let anything happen to my little bro" He laughed wrapping an arm around Fins neck and pulling him into his side with a smile. As his mom pulled away Brett turned the two of them around and started walking up to the school. "So buddy, what do you think of this place?" He asked Fin as he looked around at everyone talking, skating and more.

"It's big" Finley said quietly. he young boy hiked his backpack up high on his shoulder and took a deep breath as he entered the school with Brett next to him. "My first class is English"

"Want me to walk you there?" Brett asked him putting a hand on his shoulder. Although Brett never liked to admit it, he cared deeply for his brothers and knew that if anyone even looked at them wrong Brett would make sure they would go home with a big bruise somewhere on their face.

"No I think I'm fine" Fin said before walking away and disappearing in a sea of students. Brett waited a moment, to see if he would be able to spot him again, but couldn't and left for his first class of the day.

xxxxx

The one class Brett was excited most to go to was Glee. He loved to sing, seeing who his mother was it wasn't a surprise, so when he saw Glee on the list of classes he was blown away. Along with meeting during school, this year it was 6th period, Glee also met everyday after school which Brett was happy about. When the bell rang ending 5th period Brett ran to the choir room and sat down in the first row, soon two brunette twins walked into the room and took a seat on either side of Brett. The boy had short brown hair that was spiked up in the front, while the girl had long brown hair that fell past her shoulders, both though had beautiful chocolate eyes and a bright smile on their face.

"Hey guys, how's your first day going?" He asked them.

"Pretty good, there's some cute girls in my classes this year" Tracey smirked. Brett laughed and nodded before patting his shoulder.

"Mine too man!" He laughed. "What about you Heppy?" He asked Hepburn.

"Pretty good, nothing to report" She shrugged. As the three talked more and more kids filed into the room and waited for the teacher to come in. "I wonder who the new teacher is gonna be. Since Mr. Shue went to New York we haven't heard anything about the new teacher" She wondered, just as Tracey was about to comment a older woman walked into the room, her black heels clicking on the floor. She was wearing a black pencil skirt that stopped at her knees and a button down white shirt with a beautiful gold locket hanging around her neck. She was beautifully tanned and her black hair was up in a high ponytail, revealing her hanging gold earrings.

"Ok when I call your name say here!" She said sitting down in a chair in the front of the room, crossing her legs. She started to go down the list then suddenly stopped calling out names. Brett looked at her puzzled, if he was right his name was next on the list, so why did she stop suddenly.

"F-fabray" She said quietly, keeping her head down. Brett called out and saw her check off his name and suddenly her head was back up and she was reading off names like lightning. When she was done she stood at the head of the room and wrote large on the whiteboard behind the black piano. "So everyone, welcome to Glee. My name is Miss Lopez." She said turning around to face everyone. "Although I'm a new teacher, I'm not new to the school. Yep, I went to this school and I was in Glee Club. I was one of the original members when it restarted with Mr. Shue" She told everyone with a smirk.

"Wow, really? Our daddy was an original member too!" Hepburn said excitedly.

"Yea whatever, anyway I want everyone in here to sing a song today. Any song that comes to mind, just so I get a feel for your voices" She said sitting down next to a young boy with a buzzed head. "Who's first?" She asked looking around. Brett waited a moment before standing up and walking to the front of the room.

"What's your name" Miss. Lopez asked raising an eyebrow.

"Brett Fabray, I'm going to be singing Songbird" Brett introduced before stuffing his hands in his pockets and started to sing.

She held back a tear as she looked as him with disbelief. There he was standing in front of her and all she wanted to do was cry. His hair, his eyes, his entire body was all Brittany and that alone brought Santana close to tears.

_For you, there'll be no more crying, _  
_For you, the sun will be shining, _  
_And I feel that when I'm with you, _  
_It's alright, I know its right_

_To you, I'll give the world_  
_to you, I'll never be cold_  
_'Cause I feel that when I'm with you, _  
_It's alright, I know its right._

Santana chocked back a sob as she heard him sing the same song she serenaded Brittany with years ago. She remembered dancing to this song on their wedding day, while everyone was looking at them dancing lovingly. Santana was wrapped in Brittany's arms singing along with the song, softly into her ear. This was the first song Santana thought of when they were picking out wedding songs, it brought them back to high school and reminded them of how much they loved each other.

_And the songbirds are singing,_  
_Like they know the score,_  
_And I love you, I love you, I love you,_  
_Like never before._

_And I wish you all the love in the world, _  
_But most of all, I wish it from myself._

Santana smiled softly as she saw Brittany's sweet face pass through her mind. She didn't see Brett singing up there anymore, she saw Brittany, the way she looked when Santana sang this song to her. Santana, her internal will failing, she let tears fall down her cheeks. She put her head down so her students wouldn't have to see her cry and pretended to write something down in her notebook so no one would think to look at her.

"Thank you" Brett smiled as the class clapped loudly. He went to sit down and another young man stepped up. For the rest of the class, Santana kept her head down and scribbled notes about everyones voices, not once looking up for fear of seeing him, or having her students see her watery eyes. Finally, in the middle of a young girls song, the bell rang, everyone looked over to where their teacher was, but she was already gone.

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**I will not update this story until I get 5 reviews.**

**~ ForeverAlways,**

_**Bethany-Rose**_


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